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Tiny Hardware Firewall

Brian travels a lot and would like to have a travel router to protect him from an open and unsecured internet. Leo says he uses one when he travels and it not only works as a firewall, but it also turns into a wireless hotspot for multiple devices. He uses one from TinyHardwareFirewall.com.

Jeff wants to use Mint online, but he's concerned about putting his data online. Leo says that Mint is very secure and he uses it for his business at Tech Guy Labs. Does Mint work with 2 Factor Authentication? Leo says yes, and it does support password vaults like LastPass. But all the security in the world doesn't protect him from a data breach.

Dan is going to be in a hotel for a few weeks while his apartment complex is being renovated.How can he be secure with Wifi? Leo says that a portable travel router like the Tiny Hardware Firewall will keep you good and protected. But if you turn your phone into a wifi hotspot, you're just as secure because it's encrypted, especially on GoogleFi.

Jose is concerned about being snooped on when using public Wi-Fi. What can he do to protect himself? Leo says the first thing to do is turn on hard drive encryption. That will keep his data safe should his laptop get stolen. But for just being on a public Wi-Fi, VPNs can be beneficial. VPN stands for "Virtual Private Network," and all of the traffic that goes through it is encrypted. It's like a secure tunnel through the internet. Most web pages are encrypted now, though, so no one could see his activity on those sites anyway.

Larry went to NAB and saw the SONY Crystal LED (CLED) video wall - 18x32' 8K display. This is likely going to be a technology for billboards, video walls, movie theaters, and other hugely expensive applications.

Manny wants to know how he can find a reliable VPN product to keep his surfing private. Leo says that what he's looking for is a strong privacy policy that's very clear what it can and cannot do, particularly with logging access. Leo likes Tunnel Bear since they have it in their privacy policy that they won't log his access and activity. He also uses a hardware firewall like Tiny Hardware Firewall which will do it.

Joe wants to know about the Tiny Hardware Firewall. Leo says it's a clever solution for those who want to use open Wi-Fi hotspots safely. Tiny Hardware Firewall will give him an additional layer of protection by encrypting all of his Wi-Fi traffic with a virtual private network. Leo adds that it also adds another layer called the Black Hole Cloud service which gives users their own cloud server. This makes it lightning fast. The Tiny Hardware Firewall is about $35, plus a fee for their VPN, which could be about $100 a year.

Russell has an iPhone SE and was using an app called Tether to use his cell phone as an internet hotspot. It doesn't work anymore, though. Leo says that it's been replaced by the hotspot feature in the phone, but his provider may not support it or may charge him a monthly fee to use it. Some carriers don't charge for it at all, like T-Mobile. But resellers, like Boost don't support it because the major carrier they work with doesn't. Will a VPN fix it? Leo says not for hotspotting, but a VPN will work for keeping his internet access encrypted and secure in public Wi-Fi hotspots.

Darrell worries that his laptop isn't safe on a public WiFi hotspot. Leo says that the reality is he does broadcast his web traffic via radio and it can be sniffed. But these days, most sites are encrypted and secure. If he's worried, using a VPN is a good idea. Leo likes Tiny Hardware Firewall.

Charles and his family are going on a cruise and want to know if his devices need to run through a VPN. Leo says there are some risks, but not as much on an iPad. Google has been pushing for https everywhere, meaning that his search activity is encrypted. But that's not stopping someone from using a Wi-Fi sniffer called a Pineapple or Wireshark to figure out what his access point name is. A wise thing to do would be to forget his home network before he goes. Another option is the Tiny Hardware Firewall.